Falusi Lakodalom--Hungarian Weddings
Weddings played a significant role the life of Hungarian villages. There are many elaborate customs and rituals connected to weddings; these customs vary from region to region and from village to village. At one time wedding celebrations lasted for 3-5 days with wedding connected events happening even weeks after. Many customs stem from ancient pagan beliefs, while other customs evolved through the ages from outside influences such as war, neighboring cultures, or modernization. Many of these customs are rarely practiced today or are only simplified versions of the old. The master of ceremonies at Hungarian weddings was the "Vofely" or "Nasznagy", likened to the best man, who spoke mainly in verse, always in rhyme. Women rarely had speaking parts in the proceedings. They did most of the cooking, the sewing of costumes and the physical preparations. The family proceeded on foot from the boys village to the girls village. They sang songs and lit candles on the way. Once at the bride's house, they announced themselves and asked to see the bride,. Many times the two sides of the family would tease and taunt each other. Instead of the bride appearing right away, they would send out fake brides. (An old woman or a man dressed as a bride.) Receptions were not held at one big hall as they are done today. They were held in at least two locations because of space limitations. The two main locations were the bride's home and the groom's home after the wedding ceremony, so the bride's family and party visited mainly to add to the bride's wealth. The bride's dance (money dance) was done at the groom's house, for instance.